Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-11-27
SOCIETY AND DIVORCE.
Should Divorced Women be Received In
SocIeiyY-EIla WheeIer's Interest
ing Answer-Publicity Of
eur Divorce Courts.
UircumstaDcss Under Which Woman Only
Seeks DivOrcs-Husbands who Neglect
Their Wives-Society Should
be Humane.
Copyrighted. 1871

it; but the ranks of the divorced repre-
sent almost as many varieties and kind
OF women as the ranks Of the departed.
The life of the spotless Empress Jose
phine proves to all of US that the wore
'divorce" may only imply misfortune
not error.
However strongly opposed we may b.
to the principle Cor lack of it, involved
in the divorce law, each OF US knows
some one innocent woman who has passed
through its fiery ordeal and yet retained
our sympathy and re pect.
Without doubt it is the most painful
experience which can befall sensitive
woman. Publicity given to ones sor-
rows, OF whatever nature, intensiies
them tenfold. Publicity given to the
most private and sacred relations on
earth is little short of crucifxion.
To have your disappointments discussed
IN the frivolous fashion of the daily press,
to have your bleeding wounds pierced by
the coarse jests Of law dispensers, to hear
your most secret troubles commented on
by strangers, surely the cup of earthly
sorrow can hold no bitterer potion than
thisi
The woman who voluntarily passes
through this mire in order to find her
wsy out OF marriage into freedom is
either great sufferer worthy of our
deepest sympathy and our strongest sup
port, or else she is q coarse bred
cresture, who revels in notoriety, and is
CALLED by the domestic yoke. She must
be one or the other.
Woman is by nature aud education a
refined and sensitive, and somewhat vain
being. She shriDks from env publicity
which does not present her in fiatterlng
light. She may feel foolish pride IL
posing as the professional beauty and
admired belle, but she does not court the
role of the neglected wife. 1t is not
complimentary to her powers of
attraction.
Therefore l do not believe she enters
tie. divorce court unless she is COM
PEELED to do SO by an unrelenting fate,
which she finds too cruel to combat.
When she does, she is an abnormal
creature, who, through some accident of
birth. is devoid of the finer qualities of
the sex.
The average wife is made happy and
content by very small exhibition of love,
and very ordinary methods of kindness.
Every day and everywhere 1 see women
giving pounds OF gratitude for ounces of
t06lI uUBDalQSs
Everywhere and every day see women
economizing with cents, while their hus-
bands throw away dollars.
Therefore believe that it requires pro-
nounced cruelty and decided lack of sup
port to force women into an application
for divorce. They will bear q vast
amount of poverty and neglect before
they resort TO such method of redress.
Indeed, we can all of Us cite scores of
cases where wives cover up and condone
the WORST offenses against their dignity |
and happiness rather than give publicity |
TO their sorrows.
i heard gentleman express an opinion |
on this subject not long ago. He said: |
''lf the law permitted the insttention and |
1mpoliteness and fault-fnding ways of |
husbands to be Just causes Of divorce,
that men would make far better life part
ners. man often neglects a woman"
ne said, "Just because she belongs to him,
and he knows she will bear it. II he knew |
that he was liable to lose her by that neg
lect ne would be more on his guard, as he
is in the days of courtship."
l ssked him If the same rule might not
apply to both sexes.
''No," ne said, "for women are truer
and more domestic by nature, more easily
satisfied with their choice in marriage,
and more unwilling to become themes of
public gossip. Nine men tire of their
wives where one woman tires of her hus-
band. The law amended as 1 suggest it
would not increase divorces, but would
speedily increase the number of good
husbands
once heard an opinion expressed that
no divorced man or woman was ever
happy Rfterward. They might be less
than while in bondage, but no
ABSOLUTE happiness ever came to them, :
me speaker held.
do not think this is true; yet it must !
'equlre great and unusual joy to eradI- /
ate the effect OF such an experience to {
leart and soul =
One OF the most refined and beautiful
women l ever knew, good daughter, 8 ;
aithful wife, devoted mother, noble )
rlend, YVES compelled to become q d. ;
Torcee in order TO preserve her self-re- :
pect and to retain the legal custody of :
Ter children. a..
Surely the ''society" which bars its =
loors TO such woman is itself the loser. =
The woman who would allow foolish +
Pnim or lAwless passion to bring her s
nEo the divorce court, or the woman who .
compelled to appear there to maintain !.
er husbands dignity, at the cost of her a
WI reputation, is quite another being. .
Even If society is sometimes deceived '
her, we cannot envy her the little Il
ieasure she may derive from its tickle Ii
ivors. 6,
There is no success, no wealth, no a
1umph which can render truly hsppy the a.
'omsn whose life will not bear inVestiga-
on. A spectre walks ever by her side, 81
skeleton sits with her at the feast, the b
1lce OF her own truer self is forever &C al
ising her, and she breads discovery by ca
Ie cruel world, which is so pitiless to Ii
ring women. 81
No matter what prosperity may seem N
be hers, she is to be pitied by God and 1T
an. a,
However much and sincerely we ar
81 pity her, we could not GEN. ce
re the true wife and mother who mr.
FUSED to receive her into the io
cred family circle. The woman or man t1r
40 does not violate the laws which hold in
c civilized world together is certainly m,
ore Deserving OF society's favor than the n
e who lives in open or secret immoral no
Whenever community becomes lax or az.
eral In its ideas on these subjects ruin wi
q devastation follow; hearth stones are
solsted. characters undermined and ba,
neral destruction prevails. inv
Yet it behooVes as to be humane before Tn
are zaaIn15c We ha1a - -gv-hs = -